The Foleys’ house was only three blocks away from the Maples’ house. As Janet followed her parents along the familiar path, she was reminded of the countless times she had made these very steps: in middle school and in high school, sometimes almost hopping as she rushed to tell her best friend some piece of exciting news, sometimes dragging her feet, aching for consolation. In her own way, Lisa had always been there for Janet, and if she had not always given Janet what she needed or wanted, well, Janet’s unwavering acceptance was as much to blame for the rift in their friendship as Lisa’s self-centeredness. But while their friendship might not be what it once had been, tonight was Lisa’s night, and that was important enough to put the old grudges aside.
“Please hold this, honey.” Janet’s dad handed her the carton with the chocolate praline cake intended for Lisa’s party and rang the bell of the Foleys’ house.
Janet twirled the carton strings. The cake, made by the local bakery, had been a staple at all the birthday celebrations she and Lisa had shared throughout the years. Not that Lisa was going to deviate from her strict pre-wedding diet and eat even a sliver of the delicious confection, Janet was willing to bet her life on it, but her dad had insisted on bringing the old favorite. Well, Janet just might have a piece or two herself. After all, she didn’t have to worry about fitting into a wedding dress any time soon. No sour grapes, Janet smiled brightly. Tonight was going to be just like old times.
“Janet, dear!” Emily Foley answered the door. “Christine, Matt – come in, come in!”
“Congratulations, Emily.” Christine extended her arms in a hug, which Emily reciprocated, air-kissing Christine.
“You look wonderful, Christine,” Emily observed. “Any new beauty secrets you’d like to share with your friend?”
“Not particularly. Simply good genes, I guess.”
“Just wait till I show you the new cream that we’ve come out with. I’ve got samples for you.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Christine nodded politely, but Janet could tell that her mother was annoyed. Why was it that friendship with the Foley women was a never-ending ping-pong of snide comments and comebacks?
“Matthew, you suave devil! You’re looking as handsome as ever!” Emily made her way to Janet’s father and kissed him on both cheeks, leaving traces of her lipstick.
“Why, thank you, Emily.” Matt grinned, wiping the lipstick off his face. “You’d better not let your husband hear you say that or he just might get jealous.”
Emily beamed, but Janet’s heart sprang with silent glee as she exchanged a silent glance with her mother. She knew her father well enough to recognize the veiled sarcasm in his tone.
“Janie, honey! How long has it been?” Emily placed her palms on either side of Janet’s face. “Darling, what skincare line are you using? You have to be careful, you know – I can see those early lines are starting to come in.”
Janet balked, Emily’s hands clutching her face like a pair of pliers.
Emily clicked her tongue. “Well, never you mind. I’ve got just the thing for you.”
“Janie!” Lisa appeared at the head of the foyer staircase. The girl knew how to make an entrance. As she made her way down the stairs, Lisa gave everyone an ample view of her party dress, and what a dress it was! A tailored lilac bodice of silk with a long, flowing skirt. Many women would run the risk of looking overdressed by wearing such an elaborate gown at a simple house party, but not Lisa. Instead, she made everyone else look drab.
“Darling.” Clad in a charcoal suit, Paul had materialized just in time, holding out his hand for Lisa as she reached the bottom of the stairs – a scene so perfect, it made one think of old Hollywood movies.
“Thank you, darling.” Lisa placed a demure kiss on Paul’s cheek.
Then came the introductions, as Paul shook hands with Janet’s parents and Lisa cast about proud and satisfied glances.
“Let’s not stand around here,” Lisa commanded. “The party is out in the backyard.”
The Foleys’ backyard had been transformed for the party into an open sky bar, complete with a catered bar station stocked with all kinds of liquor and a handsome bartender. But what caught Janet’s attention was not the bar stand. She had seen plenty of those, but the abundance of the intricately laid-out plant and flower beds made the place look like a miniature farm.
Janet got a hold of Lisa’s hand. “The yard looks amazing.”
“So you like my garden, Janet?” Jack Foley appeared by Janet’s side, holding three glasses of champagne in his hands. “It’s good to see you, Janet. You look really well.”
“Thank you, Mr. Foley. So do you.” Janet had always liked Lisa’s father. In contrast to his wife’s larger-than-life persona, or maybe because of it, Jack Foley was a quiet and reserved man – character qualities that the Foley women could use more of. Now, he looked the same as Janet remembered – slightly older perhaps, but well put together in his conservative suit, collared shirt and tie.
“And you, my dear, look simply stunning.” Jack admired his daughter’s beautiful gown.
“Thank you, Daddy.” Lisa ran her hand over her dress. “I thought it might be a bit much, but what the heck?”
“You look perfect, as always,” Jack assured her. “A glass of bubbly to celebrate?” Jack offered a glass to Lisa and Janet.
“To my beautiful daughter and her lovely friend – for the happiness is so much sweeter to enjoy and the sorrow is so much easier to bear when you have friends to share them with.”
“An excellent toast.” Paul joined in, placing his arm around Lisa. “I’ll drink to that.”
“And to my future son-in-law,” Jack added.
No sooner had they lifted their glasses that they were interrupted by the arrival of new guests: Joe O’Connor and his fiancée, Daphne.
“Joe, you came!” Lisa exclaimed as though she had known Joe her entire life. “And you must be Daphne!” Lisa exchanged kisses with Joe’s fiancée, who was looking very much the way Janet remembered her – the same heavily made-up face, only now she was dressed in a barely-there spaghetti strap dress of crimson red.
Janet’s lips tightened in a forced smile. It was just like Lisa to invite Joe and his fiancée without telling her. No sour grapes, Janet reminded herself. She could have had her chance with Joe in law school, but she had chosen Alex instead, and now it was too late for second guesses.
“Hi there, Janet.” Joe stole a quick glance at Janet’s outfit as he kissed her cheek. “It’s always good to see you.”
“You too, Joe.”
“It’s Janet, right?” Daphne stood vigilantly by Joe’s side.
Janet nodded. “It’s great to see you again, Daphne.”
The party continued, with Lisa’s aunts and uncles taking their turns to say hello to Janet, invariably remembering how ‘adorable’ Janet had been as a little girl and never failing to inquire whether she was seeing anyone ‘special,’ and upon hearing that she was not, consoling her that her ‘big day’ was bound to come soon.
After half an hour of such mortification, Janet decided that she needed a break. She still remembered the layout of the Foleys’ house like the back of her own hand, so she crept out of the now crowded backyard and snuck into one of the guest bathrooms. There, in the tiled solitude, Janet turned her attention to the bathroom mirror.
Before she had arrived at the Foleys’ house, Janet had felt confident about her appearance. She had been ‘good’ the entire week, consuming mostly salads and oatmeal, and shunning sweets, the diligent regimen resulting in her having shed two pounds. But now, all she could think of were the ‘early lines’ Emily Foley had warned her about. In the harsh light of the Foleys’ bathroom, Janet saw two faint creases stemming treacherously from the outside of her nostrils to the corners of her mouth – smile lines. They were barely there, but they were there nonetheless, as were the two faint lines on her forehead from her habit of wrinkling her forehead whenever she was surprised or upset, and lately, she had plenty
of things to be upset about. Well, she was already twenty-nine. In a year, she would be thirty. Perhaps Emily Foley’s snide remark did have a grain of truth. Janet would look into a preventive skincare routine, but she’d be damned if she would turn to Emily Foley for advice. And in the meantime, there was the rest of Lisa’s party to get through.
Janet pressed her forehead against her hands and closed her eyes, as she counted till ten, taking deep, even breaths. She opened her eyes and straightened her shoulders. She was as good as new.
“Janet, I was looking for you!” Lisa ambushed Janet in the hallway, ruining Janet’s intention to rejoin the party inconspicuously. “Where have you been? There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“I had to pee,” Janet lied.
Lisa wrinkled her nose at the excessive detail. “Never mind. Andrew is here. Remember him?”
Did she ever – Janet had to stifle a groan. “Vaguely.”
“Well, he remembers you.” Lisa beamed. “And trust me, he looks nothing like he used to, and he’s single, with his own Internet business.”
“What kind of business?” Janet asked out of politeness. Even if Andrew Foley became a millionaire ten times over, he would still remain the same pest she remembered him to be.
“It’s a dating service, but what difference does that make? He’s pulling in a seven-figure income, and the last time I heard, he was going for an IPO.”
Great, Janet thought. The ghost of Lisa’s horny younger cousin who had been the bane of her existence throughout adolescence had come back to haunt her, reincarnated as a dating service mogul.
“Let’s go already. I can’t wait for the two of you to see each other.”
Neither can I. Janet shook her head, thinking that the only way this evening could get any worse would be if the party were to be raided by wild bears.
“Andrew!” Lisa squealed to the back of a tall, suit-clad man.
“Lisa!” The man turned around and Janet was in for a surprise. Andrew Foley had changed, and for once, Lisa had not lied. He looked nothing like Janet remembered him. The scrawny, sex-obsessed teenager had blossomed into a tall, broad-shouldered stud.
Janet stood back quietly, thinking that it would be unlikely for Andrew to remember her, but was surprised again.
“Janet, so good to see you.” Andrew’s eyes remained fixed on her face, which was a stark contrast to Janet’s memory of Andrew’s furtive glances directed at her boobs.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted,” Lisa excused herself.
“Could I get you a drink?” Andrew raised his glass, motioning to Janet’s empty hands.
“Sure – a whiskey sour.” Why not? Janet thought. This was a party, and she was finally starting to enjoy herself.
“So, what have you been up to, Janet Maple?” Andrew handed Janet her drink.
“Oh, nothing much – went to law school, got a job.”
“I see.” Andrew nodded. “Any interesting men in your life at the moment?”
Janet bristled. Apparently, Andrew Foley had not changed that much after all.
“A purely professional question,” Andrew added in a voice that made it clear that these days he had no lack of female attention. “Did Lisa mention that I run a dating service?”
“Yes, she did. How did you get into that line of work?”
“It was a natural progression of things I suppose.” Andrew touched his goatee in a pondering gesture. “As you remember, I wasn’t exactly Mr. Popularity in my teenage years, so naturally, I tried all kinds of ways to get in with the ladies. When ‘normal’ dating failed to do it for me, I turned to online websites, and there, I finally struck gold. You see, the world of online dating is very different from the face-to-face dating. Online, you can be anyone you want to be. Before long, all my friends started coming to me for help to write their online profiles to get girls…”
“But the truth will come out once you meet the person face to face,” Janet could not resist contradicting.
Andrew shook his head. “The whole idea is to get the person attracted to you before the face-to-face meeting. If the process is paced correctly, the two parties have already become so attracted to one another’s online personalities that once personal contact takes place, their virtual attraction will render any of the real-world shortcomings inconsequential.”
Janet humored Andrew by nodding. Clearly, he had invented his own dating reality.
Andrew continued, “That’s the premise of my business venture. Date Magic dot com is an online dating space where people get the individualized attention they deserve. Depending on the level of membership, we offer services from writing your online profile to first-date coaching.”
“Sounds fascinating,” Janet managed.
“You should try it sometime. I can hook you up with a complimentary membership.”
Janet forced a smile, wondering how she could ever repay Lisa for this humiliation.
“Just yanking your chain.” Andrew chuckled. “Imagine what a pompous ass I would have been if I had actually meant it? Oh, I think that’s the signal for the dinner seating,” Andrew remarked, pointing at the trail of guests making their way inside the house.
The two of them joined the rest of the guests, and Andrew got hijacked by one of Lisa’s aunts, who was intent on finding out whether Andrew’s business catered to the fifty-plus crowd.
“What did I tell you – is he hot or what?” Lisa whispered into Janet’s ear just as she was about to take her seat at the dinner table. “You can thank me later for the seating arrangements.”
Before Janet could say another word, Lisa had vanished, leaving Janet all alone in the company of Lisa’s great uncle who was seated to Janet’s left. She glanced longingly at her parents who were seated at the opposite side of the table. This was going to be a long evening.
“What a pleasant surprise.” Andrew took his seat next to Janet’s. “Excuse me for being kidnapped by Aunt Agnes. She is getting over a divorce and is desperate to meet new men.”
This time Janet’s smile was genuine.
Surprisingly, his dating philosophy aside, Andrew proved to be a wonderful dinner conversationalist. Intercepting Lisa’s meaningful glance, Janet had to admit that this time Lisa had finally come through. When she caught Joe O’Connor’s eyes following her and glimpsed Daphne’s sour expression, Janet’s evening had become complete. She might be single, but she was still desirable.
Before long, the dinner was over. Guests lingered with after-dinner drinks, slowly starting to take their leave. The party was coming to an end, and so was her unexpected blind date with Andrew, if it could even be called that. Janet said goodbye to Lisa and Paul and Emily and Jack Foley. She was about to join her parents for the walk back to the house when Andrew caught up with her.
“Would you like to take a drive?” he asked. “I have a kick-ass car,” he added.
“Sure.” Janet smiled, and why not? The night, as they said it, was young. “Let me just tell my parents not to wait up.”
“I’ll wait in the driveway.”
A few moments later, Janet found Andrew right where he had said he would be.
“I’m parked a few blocks down,” he said.
Together they walked down the deserted sidewalk, the only light being that of the houses they passed on the way.
“Here we are.” Andrew opened the door of his yellow Ferrari.
“You drive a Ferrari?”
“Do you think it’s too much?”
“No, I don’t. I think it’s just perfect.” Janet climbed inside the car. The low sports car seating exuded thrill and sex.
Andrew climbed in beside her and within moments, they were off.
“You’re driving too fast,” Janet shrieked.
“Are you worried I might get a ticket?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but you needn’t worry. A very high-ranking officer of the local police is an old buddy of mine, and he’s also
a very good client.”
“Really?” Janet’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “What’s his name?”
“You’ll just have to take my word for it. I can’t reveal his identity. Professional confidentiality.”
“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?”
“You’ll see.” Andrew pressed on the gas pedal, making the engine roar.
“What is this place?” Janet asked after the car had stopped. It was dark, and she had a hard time making out their surroundings.
“Don’t you remember?”
Janet squinted, the recognition coming to her in a flash. How could she have forgotten? This has been a popular make-out spot in high school, and probably still was for the kids who filled the school’s halls these days.
“I just thought it might be fun to come here,” Andrew offered.
Janet felt tension creeping over her; suddenly, the night had lost all of its charm.
“I really like you, Janet,” Andrew murmured, moving in closer – so close that Janet could sense his breath on her neck. “I’d like to get to know you again.”
Janet drew away. Again implied that they had known each other at some point in time, but aside from Andrew’s lustful ogling, there had not been much interaction between them prior to tonight.
“There is chemistry between us, don’t deny it,” Andrew continued.
Janet lingered; yes, there had been something a few moments ago. Who knew, their banter might have even led to a kiss at the end of the evening, but now, all she felt was revulsion.
Before she could get out of his reach, Andrew’s hand was on her waist, sliding down to her bottom, and his wet, sloppy mouth was covering hers. His tongue was making its way inside Janet’s mouth like an eager lizard, as Andrew’s hands unzipped the back of her dress with alarming deftness.
“Get away from me!” Janet shrieked. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Andrew snapped. “I thought you wanted this.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. Why did you agree to go for a ride with me then?”
“I don’t know; we were having a nice time. I just wanted to go for a drive. Did you think I was going to have sex with you in your car?” Janet wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
“Don’t flatter yourself, honey. These days I don’t have to beg for sex. Women are throwing themselves at me. Lisa had chewed my ears off with talks about how desperate you were to meet someone. You looked so lonely at the party; I just wanted to do you a favor.”
“I don’t need any ‘favors,’ especially from the likes of you.” Janet hurriedly zipped up her dress. “Have a nice life, Andrew. I hope your IPO tanks.”
“Hey, there’s no reason to get all worked up about this. Come on, I’ll drive you home…”
But Janet did not even bother to reply as she made her way uphill to the road. It was a half-hour walk to her parents’ house, but she’d rather walk barefoot on broken glass than spend another second in Andrew Foley’s car.
Chapter 15